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TSO Flashes Badge at Motorist: Charged With Harassment & Intimidation

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TSO Flashes Badge at Motorist: Charged With Harassment & Intimidation

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Old Jul 27, 2011, 9:39 am
  #1  
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TSO Flashes Badge at Motorist: Charged With Harassment & Intimidation

An off-duty T.S.A. agent accused of flashing his badge to get another driver to speed up in South Windsor is accused of harassing and intimidating another driver.

A woman called 911 around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and reported that a man was following her car very closely and flashing a badge at her, police said.

She stayed on the phone with police until they stopped Donald Eichler, 63, of South Windsor, police said.

He told police he was upset that the woman was driving slightly below the speed limit on Sullivan Avenue, honked his horn a few times and showed her his TSA badge to try to get her to speed up, according to a release from police.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/l...126249273.html


Harassment and intimidation - what TSA is best at. I wonder if he will try to claim he has authority - a road is "transportation" after all.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 9:46 am
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Originally Posted by tev9999
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/l...126249273.html


Harassment and intimidation - what TSA is best at. I wonder if he will try to claim he has authority - a road is "transportation" after all.

"He told his employer about the charge and officials with Bradley Airport will take any appropriate action, if necessary, a spokesman for the TSA said"


The clerk will probably get retrained and go about TSA business as usual.

Another fine example of Pistoles professionals
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 9:47 am
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A woman called 911 around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and reported that a man was following her car very closely and flashing a badge at her, police said.
"If you see something, say something" in action!

I wonder how much re-training he will be sentenced to?
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 9:49 am
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Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much
"If you see something, say something" in action!

I wonder how much re-training he will be sentenced to?
Elementary badge-flashing 101.

*poof* All done.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:09 am
  #5  
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Here is a two-sentence quote from a HILDA MUŃOZ article on the Hartford Courant website:
Donald Eichler, 63, of South Windsor was issued a misdemeanor summons of vehicle driven to harass or intimidate. He was released on a promise to appear Aug. 8 in Superior Court in Manchester.
Source: Hartford Courant, 10:43 a.m. EDT, July 27, 2011 TSA Agent Charged with Harassing Driver

A "misdemeanor summons of vehicle" cannot possibly effect his employment status, can it?
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:14 am
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Originally Posted by RatherBeOnATrain
A "misdemeanor summons of vehicle" cannot possibly effect his employment status, can it?
"...was issued a misdemeanor summons of vehicle driven to harass or intimidate."

Given that harassment and intimidation are pretty much the only things the TSA is good at, they'll probably promote him.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:17 am
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I think I know why the TSO was in a hurry. The TSA has yet to reimburse him for the badge, and he was on his way home to pick up the Toys 'R' Us receipt.

On a more serious note, I really do not like the way this is headed. We already have LEOs using their badges and the "blue code of silence" for criminal immunity--are TSOs going to join this "I can do anything" club?

Originally Posted by chollie
Elementary badge-flashing 101.

*poof* All done.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:17 am
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Originally Posted by RatherBeOnATrain
Here is a two-sentence quote from a HILDA MUŃOZ article on the Hartford Courant website:
Donald Eichler, 63, of South Windsor was issued a misdemeanor summons of vehicle driven to harass or intimidate. He was released on a promise to appear Aug. 8 in Superior Court in Manchester.
Source: Hartford Courant, 10:43 a.m. EDT, July 27, 2011 TSA Agent Charged with Harassing Driver

A "misdemeanor summons of vehicle" cannot possibly effect his employment status, can it?
What he was charged with is immaterial.He violated the terms of his employment contract. I suspect that he will be terminated for cause.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:18 am
  #9  
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Somebody in TSA must have made a phone call on this guy's behalf.

Initimidation with a vehicle is one thing. He did that.

The mis-use of the TSA badge (didn't say if he was also in uniform) should have gotten him fired and TSA should have prosecuted.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:23 am
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Originally Posted by mahohmei
On a more serious note, I really do not like the way this is headed. We already have LEOs using their badges and the "blue code of silence" for criminal immunity--are TSOs going to join this "I can do anything" club?
In each case so far, the real police have been actively defending their franchise and not putting up with the shenanigans from the TSA clerks waving badges.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:30 am
  #11  
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Originally Posted by mahohmei
On a more serious note, I really do not like the way this is headed. We already have LEOs using their badges and the "blue code of silence" for criminal immunity--are TSOs going to join this "I can do anything" club?
LEOs do not have a favorable view of TSA employees:

How REAL law enforcement professionals view the TSA

Officer.com is something like the FlyerTalk of the law enforcement community, as far as scope and range of topics. It seems a TSA screener started a thread about their badges and getting cut some slack. Hilarity ensues.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 10:56 am
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Originally Posted by chollie
Somebody in TSA must have made a phone call on this guy's behalf.

Initimidation with a vehicle is one thing. He did that.

The mis-use of the TSA badge (didn't say if he was also in uniform) should have gotten him fired and TSA should have prosecuted.

I thought you had taken your tin foil hat off.

You have no clue as to the outcome. I can virtually guarantee you that he is suspended and an internal investigation is underway. He isn't due to court until the 8th of August.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 11:16 am
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Originally Posted by cb1111
I thought you had taken your tin foil hat off.

You have no clue as to the outcome. I can virtually guarantee you that he is suspended and an internal investigation is underway. He isn't due to court until the 8th of August.
Is "tin foil hat" your phrase of the day or do you have nothing else to say???
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 11:20 am
  #14  
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Originally Posted by mulieri
Is "tin foil hat" your phrase of the day or do you have nothing else to say???
(psst) It isn't really a tin-foil hat, it's a used tin-foil cupcake liner...

mmm..cupcakes...yum yum....

Oops, sorry, forgot, 'cupcake' means something else entirely to TSOs.
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Old Jul 27, 2011, 11:29 am
  #15  
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I honestly think that Donald Eichler deserves a big ^. We should all be thanking Mr. Eichler for single-handedly reminding a big, regional media market that TSA employees are not law enforcement. ^

Honestly, this might be the most productive thing any TSA-employee at BDL has ever done!

Originally Posted by cb1111
What he was charged with is immaterial.He violated the terms of his employment contract. I suspect that he will be terminated for cause.
The thing about "Innocent until proven guilty" is that it really applies to everyone, including TSA employees.

The media reports say he was flashing his badge, but AFAIK he was not charged for that -- it appears he was only charged for the tailgating and for his flashing his lights at the other motorists. I'm not convinced that being a d-bag in your off time, away from the job, should result in you losing your job.
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